Spinning machine construction

ABSTRACT

In a spinning machine a feeding roller for feeding fibers which may contain contaminants is arranged to supply such fibers to a fiber separating roller which advances them in a predetermined path towards the spinning chamber while separating the fibers. A cleaning slot communicates with the path intermediate the feeding roller and the spinning chamber; the cleaning slot is bounded by an upstream wall and by a downstream wall of which the latter has a buffing edge adjacent the path. An air channel extends through the upstream wall and communicates with the slot, and a collecting chamber communicates with the slot also for collecting impurities which enter the slot from the path. A suction channel communicates with the collecting chamber for removing such impurities therefrom.

United States Patent 1191 Doudlebsky et al. a

[ l July 1,1975

[ SPINNING MACHINE CONSTRUCTION [73] Assignee: Vyzkumny Ustav Bavlnarsky, Orlici,

Czechoslovakia 22 Filed: May 30,1973

211 Appl. N0.I 365,165

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 239.085 12/1969 U.S.S.R 57/5895 Primary Examiner-John W. Huckert Assistant ExaminerCharles Gorenstein Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Michael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT In a spinning machine a feeding roller for feeding fibers which may contain contaminants is arranged to supply such fibers to a fiber separating roller which advances them in a predetermined path towards the 30 Forei n A Iication Priorit Data I l J 7 g h I 3926 72 spinning chamber while separating the fibers. A cleanune OS Ova ing slot communicates with the path intermediate the feeding roller and the spinning chamber; the cleaning 2? slot is bounded by an upstream wall and by a down- 57/58 58 95 56 stream wall of which the latter has a buffing edge adja- I 0 can cent the path. An air channel extends through the up- 56 R i d stream wall and communicates with the slot, and a 1 e erences collecting chamber communicates with the slot also UNITED STATES PATENTS for collecting impurities which enter the slot from the 16261681 12/1971 Novise 57/56 X path. A suction channel communicates with the col- 3,696 605 I0/I972 Morikawa et lecting chamber for removing uQh impurities there- 3.763.641 10 1973 Doudlebsky et a1. 1. 57/56 f 3,777,466 l2/l973 Kabele et al .1 57/5895 X 3,792,575 2/1974 Doudlebsky et al. 57/56 7 Claims, 8 Drawing g s I #5 l fi e I PMFHTFDJUU ms 3.892. I

saw 4 mmgmuu rm SHEET 62 V////////I////////////1//////////Ll 1 SPINNING MACHINE CONSTRUCTION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a spinning machine. and more particularly to an open end spinning machine. Still more particularly the invention relates to a device in an open end spinning machine which separates fibers and removes impurities from the fibers.

Fibrous materials which are spun in open end spinning machines often comprise. as they are being supplied towards the spinning chamber of the spinning machine. various types of impurities such as leaves. stems. seeds. dust, shales. agglomerated or fused short fibers. effusions from chemical raw materials and the like. Evidently. it is desirable that these impurities be removed from the fibers before the latter become spun into a yarn in the spinning machine, because they disadvantageously influence the quality of the yarn. In addition, the impurities if not removed tend to accumulate gradually at certain points within the spinning machine, and especially within the spinning chamber, and thus disturb the continuity of the spinning process, disadvantageously influencing the quality of the yarn being produced.

Of course. the problem itself is not new and therefore the prior art knows of various devices which are capable of partially removing the impurities from the separated fibers which are intended for open-end spinning. In essence. the prior-art devices utilize a slot communieating with the path traversed by the fibers in the direction towards the spinning chamber. either between the zone of combing and opening-up of the sliver and the zone in which the fibers are doffed. or downstream of this latter zone. These cleaning slots achieve a certain separation of the impurities from the fibers. but their efficiency depends among other circumstances upon their circumferential length which, however. cannot be arbitrarily extended because of the danger that fibers might then escape into and through these slots together with impurities.

Many fiber mechanisms are not equipped with a separate channel for the admission of air via the fiber separating mechanism into the spinning chamber. apart from the cleaning slot, and consequently very complicated pneumatic conditions are encountered in these cleaning slots into which the suction in the spinning chamber tends to draw air. with the result that the intended impurities-removal action in fact has a tendency to interference with the proper spinning process. One constuction proposed in the prior art utilizes a cleaning slot located in the immediate proximity of the carding or fiber-separating zone. The impurities are liberated from the fiber ends before the fibers are separated entirely. because at the time the impurites are separated the trailing ends of the fibers are still held in the sliver organization by interfiber friction, whereas the impurities have already been liberated due to their smaller dimension at this time. Of course, as in the other prior-art construction. the efficiency of the cleaning slot in terms of impurities removal again depends upon the length of the slot in the direction of fiber movement. By choosing a suitable length of the cleaning slot. and a suitable position thereof. impurities are being liberated at the beginning of the slot and thus the shape of the opposite limiting edge. that is the edge at the downstream end of the fiber slot as seen in the direction of fiber movement, as well as the angle included by this edge and the fiber separating roller along which the fibers move, are not of direct importance in this last priorart construction. Although with this construction a substantial amount of impurities is removed, a significant proportion of fibers is also permitted to escape through the slot and thus lost to the spinning process.

Still another prior-art device utilizes a cleaning chamber having a cleaning opening which constitutes a cleaning slot, a separating channel extending at one side of the cleaning opening and a deflecting wall being located at the other side and having a suction opening entering into it. The cleaning chamber is separably mounted within a recess of a body in which the fiber carding or separating roller rotates, and one wall of the separating channel is frompt by a part of the wall bounding the recess for the roller, whereas the opposite wall may have an edge shaped as a blade and pointing towards the circumference of the fiber separating roller, or else the wall may be formed by a bend in a part of the cleaning chamber.

Some of the prior-art devices use a cyclic withdrawal of impurities, in which case the impurities are allowed to collect in a special collecting space or chamber, and when it is desired to remove the impurities the cleaning slot is closed for the duration required to remove the impurities from the collecting chamber. In one priorart device the cleaning slot is closed mechanically and at the same time the impurities are removed from the collecting chamber by suction. However, this is a very complicated approach, and the device tends to be clogged by fibers and impurities, aside from the fact that during the time required to remove accumulated impurities from the collecting chamber-during which time the cleaning slot is closed-fibers can pass into the spinning chamber without having impurities removed from them. Even if the cleaning effect is only temporarily interrupted. however, yarn breakages of the yarn produced with non-cleaned fibers have been found to increase drastically, and the quality of the yarn from the point of view of impurity content decreases substantially. Moreover, a variation in the size of the yarn being spun is observed.

In all devices known from the prior art, moreover, a partial escapement of useful fiber takes place at the same time as the impurities are removed, thus wasting these fibers and disadvantageously efiecting the economy of the spinning operation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the prior art.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved device. in the context of a spinning machine. for separating textile fibers and removing impurities therefrom.

In keeping with these objects, and with others which will become apparent hereafter, one feature of the invention resides, in an open-end spinning machine, in a combination which comprises a feeding roller for feeding fibers which may contain contaminants, and a fiber separating roller for engaging these fibers and advancing time in a predetermined path towards a spinning chamber while separating the fibers. A cleaning slot communicates with this path intermediate the feeding roller and the spinning chamber and is bounded by an upstream wall and by a downstream deflection wall having a buf'fing edge adjacent the path. An air channel extends through the upstream wall and communicates with the slot, and a collecting chamber communicates with the slot for collecting impurities entering the same from the path. A suction channel communicates with the collecting chamber for removing impurities therefrom.

According to one feature of the invention the deflection wall is convex, to direct the impurities into the collecting chamber.

Advantageously, the upstream side wall may be flat intermediate the path and the opening at which the air channel communicates with the cleaning slot, with the cross section of the slot converging in the direction from the path towards the collecting chamber.

However, the upstream side wall may also be convex intermediate the path and the opening of the air channel. and again the cross section of the cleaning slot may converge in the direction towards the collecting chamber.

According to still a further feature of the invention the upstream side wall may be convex intermediate the path and the Opening of the air channel, and again the cross section of the cleaning slot may converge in the direction towards the collecting chamber.

In order to obtain a more reliable guidance of impurities into the collecting chamber, the slot may open tangentially into the collecting chamber.

From the point of view of structural simplicity, as well as from the point of view of readily withdrawing the impurities from the collecting chamber, it is advantageous if the suction channel communicates with one end of the collecting chamber and if the cleaning slot communicates with an opposite end thereof.

It is also advantageous, in order to provide for ready adjustment of optimum cleaning and spinning conditions, if the supply of air in at least one of the path, the air channel or the withdrawing channel, is adjustable.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a somewhat diagrammatic section through an embodiment according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an upper perspective illustrating the embodiment of FIG. 1 in open condition;

FIG. 3 is a detail view ofa portion of the embodiment in FIGS. I and 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating other possible embodiments; and

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are fragmentary sectional views, on an enlarged scale, showing various embodiments of arrangements for adjusting the air supply, with the embodiments in FIGS. 6 and 7 also applicable for adjusting the air supply in the collecting chamber.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Discussing the drawing in detail it will be seen that in FIG. 1 reference numeral 1 designates a body of a fiber separating mechanism in an open-end spinning machine. Mounted in a recess of the body 1, for rotation about an axis, is a fiber separating or carding roller 11, which is located in the recess or hollow 14. A feeding roller 12 feeds to the fiber separating roller 11 sliver 13 of staple fibers which usually contain various contaiminants that must be removed. Sliver l3 enters the fiber separating mechanism through a condensing funnel 15 and is resiliently pressed against the feeding roller 12 by means of a pressing element 16 which is biased by a spring 17. The fiber separating roller 11 and the feeding roller 12 are driven in rotation by drive means known per se and entirely conventional in this art, therefore not illustrated. The fiber separating roller 11 extends in part into the exit channel 2, of which the inlet is connected to the ambient atmosphere by a channel 21 and the outlet is configurated so as to terminate in a cylindrical projection 18 engaging the rotary spinning chamber 3 in which open-end spinning of the fibers into a yarn is performed. The details of the operation of the spinning chamber need not be specified because they are known per se and do not in any case form a part of the invention.

A cleaning slot 41 interrupts the side wall of the hollow 14 in the region between the point 19 at which sliver 13 is carded, and the area in which the fiber separating roller enters with its carding needles into the exit channel 2, that is where the fibers are doffed from the separating roller 11 into the exit channel 2. This slot is advantageously continued outwardly by a narrowing separating channel 42 which may in fact be itself considered a part of the cleaning slot 41, and enters tangentially into an impurities collecting chamber 4. A suction channel 43, connected with a suitable and wellknown per se source of suction, communicates with the chamber 4. A deflecting wall 44 bounding the separating channel 42 extends from a doffing edge 45 to the collecting chamber 4 and advantageously is convexed, as shown in the drawing. The opposite side wall bounding the channel is identified with reference numeral 46 and is located upstream as seen in the direction of travel of the fibers with the separating roller 11. An air channel 5 has an open end which is open in this side wall 46 and a necessary amount of air, advantageously adjustable in quantity, can be supplied through the air channel 5 into the separating channel 42.

FIG. 5 shows that the side wall 46 may be flat intermediate the recess 14 and the outlet opening of the air channel 5, but FIG. 4 shows that instead the side wall 46 may be convex in this same region, or concave as shown in FIG. 3.

The suction channel 43 is located on a difierent level than the separating channel 42, as shown in FIG. 2, where the separating channel 42 will be seen to be in communication with the collecting chamber 4 at one end thereof, whereas the suction channel 43 communicates with the chamber 4 at the opposite end thereof. A lid 6, shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 closes the body 1 and is secured to the upper wall 10 to overlie and cover the recess 14, the collecting chamber 4 and any other open spaces.

An air distributing space 61 is provided above the lid 6 and is closed by a lid 62. The air channel 5, the exit channel 2 and possibly also the collecting chamber 4, are connected to the space 61 either by means of an extension 63 which is replacable to make it possible to adjust the necessary amount of air by choosing a suitable cross section for the extension 63, or by means of a movable plug 64 mounted on the lid 62 and whose movement in the direction of the arrow permits the necessary adjustment of air flow to be made. Of course, a separate extension 63 or plug 64 must be used for each component which draws air, that is the channel 5, the channel 2 and the collecting chamber 4.

It is advantageous to use an element 65 in the air channel 5 and the exit channel 2, as shown in FIG. 8, which serves to adjust the quantity of air that can flow through the respective channels. Turning the element 65 through 180 moves it from fully opened to fully closed position or vice versa. It is not necessary to illustrate how air is supplied into the distributing space 61, but of cousrse this is well known and conventional in the art.

It is possible to configurate the doffing edge 45 in form of a blade, but other possibilities also exit, for instance it may be configurated as a screen, a contact or the like.

In the operation of the device according to the present invention the sliver 13 is fed by the feeding roller 12 to the rotating fiber separating roller 11 whose peripheral teeth engage the sliver l3 and begin to card or comb the fibers thereof. This combing action takes place in the zone 19 wherein the fibers are separated. These fibers then are transferred by a pneumaticmechanical effect into the doffing zone, that is into the area in which the fiber separating roller 11 intersects the exit channel 2. In this zone the fibers are doffed from the fiber separating roller 11 and advance through the exit channel 2 into the rotating spinning chamber in which they are converted into yarn in known manner.

Impurities such as stems, leaves, seeds, dust, raps and the like, which were present in the incoming sliver 13, have a small surface area as compared to their weight, in contrast to the fibers, and are therefore accelerated by the rotating fiber separating roller 11. Due to this acceleration they are ejected through the cleaning slot 41 into the channel 42 where they contact the deflection wall 44 which directs them into the collecting chamber 4. In the collecting chamber 4 the impurities have imparted to them a helical motion and are sucked off at the end of the chamber by the channel 43.

In order to obtain the necessary correct air flow in the channel 42, intermediate the slot 41 and the collecting chamber 4, air is supplied by the air channel 5. The air flow is designated with reference character A and is the result of suction in the spinning system; a second air flow B in the channel 42 by suction ofa suitable source which is connected with the channel 43 as pointed out earlier. If only the air channel 5 is connected to the ambient atmosphere, then the air flow designated C is the sum of the flows A and B, and the air flow D equals the flow B (compare FIGS. 3, 4 and 5).

It also is possible to have the collecting chamber 4 connected to the ambient atmosphere, as well as having the air channel 5 connected to the ambient atmosphere. lf mutually different cross sections of the air channel 5 and collecting chamber 4 are used, a different value of the air flow A verses the air flow B is obtained, and thus a different holding and accelerating effect of these air flows is brought about. This particular system can be used advantageously to control the cleaning effect, either by choosing different cross sections as outlined before, or by using a suitable system of varying these cross sections as mentioned above.

The separating channel 42 opens tangentially into the collecting chamber 4, as was already pointed out previously, and due to this expedient the air flow in the chamber 4 is made to rotate helically therein, as shown in dashed lines, with a sloping tendency towards the suction channel 43, so that the impurities which enter the chamber 4 will be constantly whirled about and will not be able to become deposited in the chamber 4 but will be positively removed into a through the channel 43.

This is aided by the fact that the separating channel 42 converges in the direction towards the collecting chamber 4, so that the flow velocity increases, the dynamic pressure of air in view of the entrained impurities being an obstacle which cannot be overcome. Thus the impurities, which are whirled about in a helical flow in the chamber 4, are prevented from returning into the fiber separating mechanism. The air flow B helps in the separating channel 42 by its force to accelerate the ejected impurities from the fiber separating mechanisms through the slot 41. The air flow A has sufficient force to separate the impurities in the slot 41 and the channel 42 from the fibers which are carried along in contact with the periphery of the fiber separating roller 11, thus preventing these fibers from escaping together with the impurities into the slot 41. In other words, the air flow A acts as a deterrent to the escape of fibers and thus prevents their waste as is inevitable in the prior-art constructions.

The shape chosen for the deflecting wall 44 assures that the impurities which are ejected through the cleaning slot 41 and in approximately tangential direction with reference to the fiber separating roller 11, will escape through the separating channel 42 without com' ing in contact with the opposite side wall 46. However. if for any reason such contact should in fact take place, they would nevertheless be deflected into the collecting chamber 4 for removal by the suction conduit or channel 43.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of constructions differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a spinning machine, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended:

1. In an open-end spinning machine construction. a combination comprising a feeding roller for feeding fibers which may contain contaminants; a fiber separating roller for engaging said fibers and advancing them towards a spinning chamber in a predetermined path,

said path being constituted of a upstream and an adjoining downstream path section in which said fibers are respectively separated by and doffed from said fiber separating roller; a cleaning slot communicating with said path intermediate said feeding roller andsaid spinning chamber in the region of a juncture between said path sections. a converging channel communicating with said cleaning slot and being elongated in direction outwardly from said path. said converging channel being bounded by an upstream wall and by a convexly curved downstream deflection wall having a doffing edge adjacent said path so that the convergence of said converging channel causes said impurities to be accelerated therethrough away from said cleaning s] an air channel extending through said u stream 1 li'alnd communicating with said slot and said converging channel; a collecting chamber substantially tangentially communicating with said converging channel for collecting said contaminants entering the same from said path; and a suction channel communicating with said collecting chamber.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said upstream side wall is flat intermediate said path and said air channel; and wherein the cross-section of said converging channel converges in direction toward said collecting chamber.

3. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said upstream side wall is concave intermediate said path and said air channel; and wherein the cross section of said converging channel converges in direction towards said collecting chamber.

4. A combination as defined in claim I, herein said upstream side wall iscurved intermediate said path and said air channel; and wherein the cross-section of said converging channel converges in direction towards said collecting chamber 5. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said collecting chamber has two spaced endportions; and wherein said converging channel communicates with one and said suction channel communicates with the other of said endportionsr 6. A combination as defined in claim 1; and further I comprising means for adjusting the flow of air in at least one of said air channel, collecting chamber, and

that section of said path which is downstream of said slot.

7. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said converging channel communicates with one of said spaced end portions of said collecting chamber substantially tangentially to a first axial line located within said converging channel; and wherein said suction channel communicates with the other of said spaced end portions along a second axial line located at a different elevation with respect to said first axial line. so as to create within said collecting chamber an elevation distance which must be traversed in a helical path by said contaminants after entering into one of said spaced end portions. 

1. In an open-end spinning machine construction, a combination comprising a feeding roller for feeding fibers which may contain contaminants; a fiber separating roller for engaging said fibers and advancing them towards a spinning chamber in a predetermined path, said path being constituted of a upstream and an adjoining downstream path section in which said fibers are respectively separated by and doffed from said fiber separating roller; a cleaning slot communicating with said path intermediate said feeding roller and said spinning chamber in the region of a juncture between said path sections; a converging channel communicating with said cleaning slot and being elongated in direction outwardly from said path, said converging channel being bounded by an upstream wall and by a convexly curved downstream deflection wall having a doffing edge adjacent said path, so that the convergence of said converging channel causes said impurities to be accelerated therethrough away from said cleaning slot; an air channel extending through said upstream wall and communicating with said slot and said converging channel; a collecting chamber substantially tangentially communicating with said converging channel for collecting said contaminants entering the same from said path; and a suction channel communicating with said collecting chamber.
 2. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said upstream side wall is flat intermediate said path and said air channel; and wherein the cross-section of said converging channel converges in direction toward said collecting chamber.
 3. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said upstream side wall is concave intermediate said path and said air channel; and wherein the cross-section of said converging channel converges in direction towards said collecting chamber.
 4. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said upstream side wall is curved intermediate said path and said air channel; and wherein the cross-section of said converging channel converges in direction towards said collecting chamber.
 5. A combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said collEcting chamber has two spaced endportions; and wherein said converging channel communicates with one and said suction channel communicates with the other of said endportions.
 6. A combination as defined in claim 1; and further comprising means for adjusting the flow of air in at least one of said air channel, collecting chamber, and that section of said path which is downstream of said slot.
 7. A combination as defined in claim 5, wherein said converging channel communicates with one of said spaced end portions of said collecting chamber substantially tangentially to a first axial line located within said converging channel; and wherein said suction channel communicates with the other of said spaced end portions along a second axial line located at a different elevation with respect to said first axial line, so as to create within said collecting chamber an elevation distance which must be traversed in a helical path by said contaminants after entering into one of said spaced end portions. 